


Donna Visits

by RaeSone99



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Canon Compliant, Developing Relationship, Female Friendship, Gen, Implied Relationships, Male-Female Friendship, olicity - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-22
Updated: 2015-03-22
Packaged: 2018-03-19 01:16:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3590871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaeSone99/pseuds/RaeSone99
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So this started off following a theme but then the last one is apparently set in the future so hey. Summary: In which Felicity assures her mom that Ray is her boyfriend and Donna Smoak is not convinced that Felicity understands what it is exactly a boyfriend is because every time she visits all she sees and hears about is Oliver. The last one however is set in the future. So maybe the title is the theme. idk it's 2:30am lol</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Jogging

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own the characters, any resemblance to any real people is unintentional and Arrow's awesome. I think that covers it haha.

_Jogging_

The door swung open and Oliver was greeted with a vision of Felicity in 20 years. Donna Smoak, who a millisecond previous looked as though she was going to give him a piece of her mind, stared up at him speechless. The feeling was mutual. Had he known that Felicity’s mother was visiting he wouldn’t have banged on the door like some kind of barbarian at 7 in the morning.  As it was he was on Felicity’s front steps, with one hand raised, in his jogging shorts, black t-shirt, and neon green sneakers jogging in place like a complete moron. Worse, he was sweaty, his shirt was sticking to him, and he just knew that his hair was sticking up in odd places.  Judging by the shocked look on Ms. Smoak’s face he thought that maybe he should speak.

“I’m sorry Ms. Smoak. I didn’t realize that you were already here. I mean, Felicity said you’d be here but I didn’t know that she meant this morning.” Appalled, he could hear himself babbling but was unable to stop himself as he rushed to explain his behavior. “Obviously, if I’d known I wouldn’t have been knocking so loudly, or…”

“Donna, call me Donna,” Ms. Smoak, Donna, turned around and breezed back into Felicity’s house, pulling her fuzzy yellow bathrobe closer to her. Oliver hesitated at the threshold. He’d never actually been inside of Felicity’s home. He was hoping that one day she’d ask but…

Donna turned around and gave him a look that reminded him of Felicity so forcefully that he followed. Turning the corner Donna headed towards Felicity’s kitchen area while Oliver surreptitiously examined Felicity’s living space. Her front room was bright. A bright yellow throw lightened up her sand colored sofa, and her accent pillows were peppered with blue spots. A large window brought in streams of sunlight. For a second he imagined her lying on the floor and absorbing the sunbeams like a butterfly. Oliver shook his head. Did he really just compare the woman he loved to a butterfly?  

Donna sat down at the small kitchen table, where her breakfast was laid out, and gestured around brightly, “Help yourself; I’m sure you know where everything is.”

Before he could ask her to explain her last sentence, Felicity stumbled down the stairs. He watched as the woman he likened to a butterfly not even two minutes ago, dragged her feet across the wood floor towards them. Her hair was piled in what he called a shower knot, and she was still wearing her penguin P.J.s.

Scuffing her way to the table Felicity rubbed her hand over her eyes, “Ugh, mom, if that’s the cat lady from next door, tell her I still don’t know where he is. It’s been three months. Maybe she should look into getting a new pet. Like a fish.” Oliver and Donna exchanged an amused look.  Oliver tilted his head laughing to himself; clearly she’d forgotten their jogging session.

“Felicity,” her mother called.

Felicity rambled on, searching through her cabinets for something, “But maybe not a fish. Oliver told me that Thea, his baby sister, had one when she was little and it actually jumped out of the tank.”

Donna cleared her throat,

“Felicity?”

Finding a mug Felicity closed the cabinets and padded towards her sink…right beside Oliver. “Or was it a frog? Oliver, was it a fish or a frog?”

Oliver blinked at her in disbelief before he managed, “A frog.”

Felicity’s mug slipped from her fingers and broke in the sink as Felicity whipped her head around to stare at Oliver wide eyed.

“Oliver?” she gasped. Quickly he moved to pick up the handle of the mug she’d just dropped and handed it to her carefully.

“Sweetie, I was trying to tell you. Oliver’s here. Apparently, you were supposed to go jogging?”

“Jogging”, Felicity groaned at the same time. She squeezed her eyes shut and he heard her mutter, “I thought I was dreaming.” When she opened them a moment later she gave Oliver an apologetic smile, “I’m sorry Oliver I should have called you. I forgot to mention last night that my mother caught an earlier flight, so I wasn’t going to make it. I’m sorry.” Still clutching the handle from her broken mug in one hand, she reached for him as though to squeeze his bicep but he moved backwards. Felicity blinked at him, hurt showing clear on her face. Realizing that she thought he was rejecting her, again, he pointedly looked at the jagged mug handle sill in her hand,

“I prefer to bleed to death at night,” he joked.

Felicity snorted and he knew he was forgiven. Gently tossing the handle into the sink with the other shards, she asked, “We could run this evening? Mom and I sort of had plans…”

“Nonsense!” Donna broke in. “The man ran all this way to get to you, the least you could do is change and get going. Shoo! Shoo!” Felicity narrowed her eyes. Her mother had that gleam she got in her eyes whenever she saw a good deal at the store. Distantly, Felicity wondered if there was a pair of shoes somewhere that the older woman was looking to close the deal on.

Oliver shifted and drew Felicity’s attention back to him. “Is it okay if we run the short route today?” she asked.

Oliver gave her a beaming smile that took her breath away. Too late, she realized that he’d spoken and was waiting for a response. Thankfully, her brain was right there with the auditory memory, “That sounds great.” Tearing her eyes away from his lips, she looked at his eyes, which was not the best alternative. His nose! His ears! Anywhere but his eyes! She pleaded with her brain to come up with a response. Finally, it was Oliver who looked down and she was able to turn away. _Friends._  

Friends, that’s what they were. They were friends.

Oliver watched Felicity retreat as he repeated that mantra in his head. It’d been a week since he’d visited her at ~~QC~~ Palmer Technologies and as a show of friendship they’d agreed to resume their jogging sessions. It was something they’d enjoyed over the summer. But as he sat down beside Donna, who was eyeing him over her cup of orange juice he wondered how much longer he could stand to be just her friend. In his head he wanted mornings like this forever.


	2. Phone Calls

_Phone calls_

Contrary to what her daughter seemed to believe Donna Smoak had only been in three relationships that mattered. There was Ben, the auto-mechanic who she considered marrying in high school, Felicity’s father, who she actually did marry, and Robert, the car salesman from Henderson who she absolutely refused to even consider going there with. He was the closest thing to a brother she had. The point was each of those men stood out in her mind because of the way they spoke to her, when they chose to call her, and when she called them.

Robert called her everyday to make sure she made it to work okay, to nag her about getting the tire pressure in tires checked, and to remind her that his wife was depending on her to bring her famous mac n cheese to Sunday dinner. She in turn called Robert to remind him that her tires were fine, to tell his wife that she’d seen the cutest pair of shoes on sale, and to tease him about the hair dye commercial she’d just seen. Robert was going bald. In short, a brotherly conversation over the phone, she understood.

Puppy love Ben called just to hear her voice, to ask what her favorite color was, to see if her parents would let her out of the house on Friday night. She called Ben for the same reasons. Needless to say when the pregnancy test turned out negative they were both relieved. A spring fling Donna understood.

Felicity’s father, even after all these years she couldn’t think his name without becoming angry-so she’d stopped thinking of it-and she, called for the mundane and extraordinary reasons that married people do.  She still remembered the messages he’d left on their phone. The ones she’d listened to over and over again in the early days, after putting Felicity to sleep. The days when she’d really needed him. ‘Hey hun, I was by the bakery so I picked up a dozen of those maple brown sugar doughnuts you like, I’ll be home soon.’ ‘Darling, you’ll never believe me but I finally solved that equation I’ve been working on these past two weeks! See you in a bit!’ ‘Sugar I’m sorry about the fight we had. I miss talking to your sweet face. I hope you got the roses I sent you.’ To ‘Honey, can you pick me up? I locked my keys in the car…again. I know I know I should really wear a chain around my neck like you said. Would you come get me? Or better yet bring my keys? I’m in Boulder City, at the place, you know the one.  Okay, bye, love you!”  

In short, she knew what phone calls with the men who mattered in her life sounded like. Which was why, for the life of her, she could not figure out why it sounded like her daughter had gotten _involved_ with Oliver Queen and neglected to tell her. Sure she knew what her daughter _told_ her. Something about Ray and their _something._  But every time Felicity took a call from Oliver it was, ‘Oliver, did you pick up your suit? No, the other one with the patched knee.’ and ‘Hey Oliver, mom and I are at Big Belly-yes I’ll tell her you said hi- and I’m getting you the number 3 okay? What? No I’m not trying to fatten you up! Trust me, no one loves your abs more than I do, I mean, *sigh*you know what I mean. I remember… no pickles, no onions, extra seasoning. K’bye. Oliver says hi mom’. To ‘No, we’re fine. I promise…he was a mugger Oliver, not an assassin…the kid was 15 and we scared him off before he could even try anything…I’m fine…We’re fine…No, don’t…Well, since you’re coming over would you bring my red tablet? I left it on the table by the…Thanks, you’re my hero.’

But no matter the words, what really clinched it for Donna was her daughter. Felicity’s tone when she spoke to Oliver was completely different. It was as though the rest of the world disappeared and she and Oliver were on a private line in a bubble somewhere. Sure Felicity flirted with Ray but there was no way to confuse the two.

And the hours! Oliver called at all hours, as though he couldn’t function without her near, as if Felicity and Felicity’s voice was the only thing stopping him from making terrible decisions. And yes, she understood that he owned a night club. Yes, she understood that Felicity ran tech support for said night club. But, when ‘I Need A Hero’ woke her up at 3am, Felicity’s weak ‘he needed to know how to operate my system’ the next morning wasn’t cutting it. The blush on Felicity’s face when she tried to clarify that statement a second later was all Donna needed to know. She’d put her hand up to forestall Felicity’s clarification and insisted that she could connect the dots. Donna may have been born in the night but it was a Vegas night!

To put it frankly she couldn’t help but be surprised every time she heard Ray’s name. Felicity thought that she was absentminded but one out of one hundred was one out of hundred.


	3. A Possible Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mama Smoak meets Thea Queen one evening in the future.

_Thea_

The weather in Starling City was balmy. For once it wasn’t raining, or oppressively dark, it was perfect. Donna was riding in the passenger seat as Felicity drove. The wind was whipping through her meticulously maintained hair but it felt so great that she didn’t mind. They were headed home after a marathon Saturday of shopping. The backseat of Felicity’s Mini Cooper was filled to the roof with bags of clothing, jewelry, small appliances, and electronics that she knew she’d never use but accepted because Felicity insisted she _needed_ them. Leaning her head back against the seat Donna listened to her daughter drive.  A small smile creased her lips. She was proud of herself for managing to salvage her relationship with her only child, and proud of Felicity for making something of herself. She wanted to tell her but she knew she’d never be able to say it in a way that wouldn’t stress the bridge they’d been building. Until she could, shopping trips would have to do.

The car slowed down and Donna roused herself before peering out of Felicity’s window. This was not Felicity’s street. The avenue, the only word appropriate for it, was filled with expensive new condos and cars that put the enormous amount they’d just spent to shame.  Felicity glanced over at her mother and gave a small smile,

“Hey mom, didn’t mean to wake you up. I just had to make a quick stop by my friend’s place to drop something off.”

Two minutes later they pulled up to a large oak tree with a young lady standing outside under a tall streetlight. By the way she was shifting Donna could tell the woman was cold.

“Is that your friend?”

“mhmm. This should just take a sec.”

Felicity rolled her down her window and Donna got a better look at the young woman. She was in her early twenties, slim but in the healthy, wiry, athletic way. Her brown hair was in a brutal short cut and the rakish grin on her face made Donna want to warn Felicity to be careful. There was a hard edge to her demeanor.  However, Donna said nothing, trusting her daughter to know who her friends were. Instead she watched as her daughter dropped the role of daughter in favor of another identity before her eyes. A mischievous grin pulled at Felicity’s mouth as she waved the young woman down. From beside her leg on the driver’s side Felicity pulled out a small black bag that Donna had no recollection of them acquiring.

“I got it!” she crowed.

The woman’s grin set, “I could hug you right now! Thank you so much! No wonder my brother loves you,” she added with a teasing voice.

“Thea…” Felicity warned.

Thea rolled her eyes, “Yeah yeah I know. Oh hi!” For the first time Thea seemed to notice Donna. Thea stared directly at her as though trying to read her secrets and intent. Donna shifted trying not to look uncomfortable and gave a little wave.

“Oh yeah,” Felicity added brightly either not noticing or ignoring her mother’s discomfort, “This is my mom, Mom this is Thea Queen.”

_Queen_!

Understanding filtered through, “Ah! You must be the sister I’ve heard about! I’m Donna,” reaching across Felicity she awkwardly shook Thea’s hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

Thea’s hands were unexpectedly calloused and cool which surprised Donna. She’d expected warm, soft, freshly manicured hands from Oliver Queen’s sister. With an introduction the hard, oddly protective vibe Thea had given off melted away and made her easier to read. She seemed surprised to be recognized in her own right but played it off an instant later with dry teasing,

“So you’re Felicity’s mom. It’s nice to know that Athena has a mother…”

Donna understood that Thea was referencing mythology but all she knew was Venus and even then she was thinking of Venus Williams. Not knowing what to do and sensing that a reaction was called for she said as much. Thea’s face lit up in actual amusement and for a brief moment in time she looked her age.

“I like you. I’m glad we met.”

Felicity rolled her eyes, “Please don’t reference mythology to me. Once you learn it it’s all very gross…and sexist. And I can assure you, my father is not Zeus. Trust me.” Felicity’s tone grew dark but she shook it off a moment later with a soft smile.

Taking one of Thea’s hands Felicity gently wrapped her fingers around the handle of the small black bag. Felicity, Donna noted, didn’t seemed surprised by Thea’s rough hands.

“Be sure you take a picture of his face once he opens it. You’ll have to be quick because you know how he is,” Felicity and Thea exchanged wry looks. Donna herself remembered Felicity describing Oliver as stoic. Personally, she didn’t see it. The man was always all smiles for her.

“Yes, ma’am,” Thea drawled. Felicity smirked in acknowledgment and pulled her hands back into the car. Seconds before Felicity was about to pull off Thea lurched towards Felicity and pulled her into a hug through the window. Felicity’s alarmed ‘Thea!’ was silenced as Thea whispered, “He misses you like crazy. For the record I think you’re right.”

Felicity seemed to blink back tears, as she hugged Thea back and murmured an equally low, “Thank you.”

Finally the two women pulled apart and Thea waved two them both. Before her very eyes, the hard edge returned, and the genuine emotion that had launched Thea towards Felicity was disappeared beneath a jaunty Cheshire grin.

“See you at the wedding!” Thea Queen called before sprinting away and disappearing into her fancy home. Felicity looked as though she was going to yell something back before shaking her head and pulling off. Donna closed her eyes as Felicity muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, ‘kids these days.’

Fifteen minutes of hair mussing wind later they were back on Felicity’s side of town and Donna couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“So you looked him up?” There was no question that the ‘him’ she was referring to was Felicity’s father.

Felicity sighed. “Yeah. I looked him up.” Even though Donna was dying to know how her absentee husband was doing she could tell that tonight was not the night for that discussion. Instead she asked,

“So, ‘see you at the wedding’?”

Felicity groaned and stopped in her driveway.

Donna spent the rest of the night teasing Felicity as they dragged bag after bag of mall stuff inside.

It was only when they’d packed everything away and were settled in their jammies for a late night movie that Donna asked,

“You’ll tell me right? When the time comes? I don’t want to find out about the wedding on tv, or from your Uncle Robert…”

Felicity leaned over and rested her head on her mother’s shoulder, “Yeah mom, you’ll be the first to know.”

Donna sighed content and drowsy, a small chuckle coming from her at her daughter’s next comment,

“If Thea doesn’t beat me to it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it! Thank you for reading! Comments are very welcome :) I think this was my first time actually writing Thea so hopefully I was in the ballpark... I hope you have a fantastic day!


End file.
